“Madonna is known for her many faces: Mother Madge. Dominatrix. Material Girl. Spiritual Leader. Sex Goddess. Virgin” – Catherine Holahan writes on The Record – “So it was fitting that she began her performance Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden by emerging from a shattered crystal disco ball. The “Confessions” tour is all about showing off Madonna’s many facets.

“The Queen of Pop started the show in a black riding outfit that was Mrs. Ritchie meets Erotica’s Madonna. The costume was the first of at least half a dozen wardrobe changes Madonna would go through during the two-hour show.

The riding outfit, complete with hat and crop, was a nod to Madonna’s recent persona as an English lady as well as a celebration of the sexiness and indomitable spirit that has remained constant regardless of her style-of-the-moment.

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Scenes of horses, fallen riders, and X-rays flashed across the ubiquitous video screens during the first few songs, referencing the injuries she suffered from a recent horseback riding accident, which left her with several broken bones.

Madonna showed off just how well she had recovered when, during a later dance interlude to the song “Sorry,” she put her leg seemingly behind her head.

Madonna danced throughout the show along with a large troupe of athletic male and female dancers. The dancers jumped around in cages, leaped from the stage, and even – during the “Disco Inferno” mash up with her song “Music” – performed on rollerblades.

At one point, she even donned an Elvis-style boxer’s cape with a “Dancing Queen” logo.

Madonna the dancer was another face she showed the crowd. She was also Madonna the rock star, playing guitar through songs such as “I Love New York” and “Ray of Light.”

She brazenly displayed her political side during numbers such as the “Sorry” interlude, which included video of her giving President Bush the finger among other images.

The Madonna of “Like a Prayer” was present with her controversial entrance on a mirrored cross during “Live to Tell.”

She displayed her dominatrix side, riding her male dancers during “Future Lovers” and ordering the crowd to dance, jump and sing as she saw fit.

Her theatrical side was on view in numbers such as the ’70s-inspired “Disco Inferno” mix when she wore a white suit straight out of “Saturday Night Fever.”

She even showed her New York side, telling the crowd:

“If you can’t let your hair down in New York City, where can you let it down? I’ve been [expletive] up the words and falling all over the place. I think I’m trying to hard to impress you people. But this is my home anyway. Why do I have to impress anybody?”

The crowd, for its part, didn’t seem to notice any mistakes. They jumped on command, sang at the top of their lungs, and even did the wave.

And, through it all, Madonna gyrated, shook and showed why, after more than two decades on stage, one face will always remain constant: The Queen of Pop.

From www.northjersey.com.